The present invention generally relates to a heat source cooling apparatus and method, and more particularly a heat source cooling apparatus and method which utilizes a mechanism to divide a flow of cooling fluid.
The temperature of an integrated circuit device must be maintained within a certain temperature range to ensure proper function, reliability and useful life. As a result, a variety of devices have been designed to cool integrated circuit devices.
For example, one technique for cooling integrated circuit devices is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,830 which describes a thermal conduction module comprising a chip-carrying surface and at least one integrated circuit chip on the substrate. A deformable, liquid-impermeable, thermally conductive film or foil extends over an upper surface of the chip. A piston has a lower surface which urges and conforms the film against the chip upper surface and contains at least one open channel permitting coolant passage and contact with the film without direct contact between the coolant and the chip.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,984 which describes a system for cooling electronic circuit components mounted on a substrate. The system includes containers placed on the respective components, and nozzles each having a central through-hole and peripheral through-holes. The outer bottom surface of each container is in thermal contact with a corresponding electronic circuit component. Liquid coolant is supplied into each container via the central through-hole, and discharged through the peripheral through holes to a location outside the container.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,443 which describes a blind hole cold plate cooling system having a fluid inlet manifold with at least one jet nozzle and a heat transfer plate with a first and second surface. The first surface has a complimentary cavity for receiving the jet nozzle. The second surface is planar for contact with at least one heat generating device. The cooling system also has an annular gap defined by the center periphery of the jet nozzle and the surface of the complementary cavity.
U.S. Pat. 5,239,200 discloses an apparatus including a thermally conductive cooling plate which has a plurality of integral closed end channels. A cover adapted to seal the periphery of the cooling member is provided and is spaced from the channel-containing surface. The cover has a plurality of integral baffles extending toward the cooling member into and along the length of the channels. The baffles and channels are spaced from each other to permit passage of a coolant in a flow direction normal to the channels. An inlet and outlet for coolant are provided on opposite ends of the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,640 teaches a cooler having a plurality of first passages in fluid communication with a plurality of second passages. A coolant flows through the second passages and then through the first passages which are in close proximity to a heating source. The first and second passages are oriented and connected such that the direction of coolant flow in the first passages is opposite to the direction of flow in the second passages.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,762 discloses a cooling system in which a fluid is sprayed against the cooling surface of an electronic circuit device to cool the device and air is supplied in the opposite direction to the flow of the fluid to form an air curtain, thereby preventing the fluid from depositing on the electric circuitry of the devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,086 teaches an apparatus including a heat spreader having a planar surface urged against a planar surface of a chip by flexible microbellows. The surface area of the heat spreader is greater than the mating surface area of the chip. The heat spreader is attached to the bottom surface of the microbellows. The surface area of the heat spreader which mates with the surface of the chip is highly polished and coated with a highly conductive soft metal. A jet of coolant is forced into the inner surface of the microbellows.
Some of the aforementioned designs of cooling devices for integrated circuits are mechanically complex and would be relatively expensive to implement. Others designs would consume a relatively large amount of space which is a critical parameter in many electronic component environments.
It would be desirable to provide an apparatus and method for cooling a heat source such as an integrated circuit device which is relatively inexpensive to implement and would not consume a relatively large amount of space in an electronic component environment. It would also be desirable to provide an apparatus and method for cooling a heat source such as an integrated circuit device which provides enhanced cooling of the heat source.